Lattice QCD with 8 and 12 degenerate quark flavors

Understand

We compare extensive simulations of QCD with 8 and 12 flavors of degenerate quarks, using the DBW2 gauge action, naive staggered fermions, and the rational hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm.

• A variety of values of the coupling constant, quark mass, and lattice size have been used.
• Our data suggests that, as the bare coupling is decreased, a rapid cross-over, which dramatically changes the lattice scale, exists with both 8 and 12 flavors.
• The scale change across this cross-over is much larger with 12 flavors than it is with 8 flavors.